Sunday, January 31, 2010

"Turn to God.""Let God into your heart.""Trust in God.""Let God show you the way.""Read your Bible."

These phrases, and others like them, are spoken to me often. Of course, these phrases are most often said to me by those who do not agree that it is possible to be Christian and prochoice.

I have to wonder, what are they thinking when they say these things? Do they think that I don't trust God? Do they think I haven't read my Bible? Do they think that I haven't found my way through God?

Why would I claim to be a Christian if I didn't think my beliefs were based upon the Bible and Jesus? Why would I list Bible verses as references to my beliefs if I thought I had misunderstood them? If I thought, or worse knew, that my opinions were absolutely wrong, I wouldn't be saying them!

The other event which bothers me happens after someone asks me for verses to back up my opinion. Once I have provided the person with verses, they claim that one cannot look at certain verses alone, and we must read the whole bible.

Then WHY did you ask for verses in the first place?!

Instead of simply writing me off, please read the verses I propose, listen to the arguments I make and consider them. Let Christ lead you through the thought process. Do not have a goal in mind. Open your mind to the possibility that you might be partially wrong or even completely wrong. Understand that opening your mind to new possibilities is not a bad thing.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Antichoicers have been whispering things here and there- "why are prochoicers afraid of a commercial?" "they're taking away Tebow's freedom of speech!" Well, I'm here to tell you why we're not afraid, but annoyed and angry.

First, we are annoyed at CBS. This is not about limiting Tebow's freedom of speech, but promoting EQUALITY and sticking to our promises. CBS has a rule which says things of political nature are not going to be aired during the Superbowl. Controversial topics are simply turned down. This has happened to a pro-gay rights Christian church group, MoveOn.org, and PETA in the past.

Suddenly though, they're allowing Focus on the Family a commercial about probably the most controversial topic in America- against their policies claims. Why has CBS denied multiple ads and suddenly now changes their mind and allows this one? It's unequal- unless they decide to change their policy and allow PETA, MoveOn.org and pro-gay groups to also air ads. Otherwise, they are breaking their promises and claims. They are turning their back on America.

Secondly, we are made at the idea behind Tebow's message. The idea behind the prolife message is that no woman should be allowed to choose abortion- she must be forced to carry a pregnancy to term regardless of what she wants. Women are too ignorant to make their own decisions, and therefore antichoicers must make decisions for them. This is the EXACT opposite of Tebow's experience. Tebow was told that she should have an abortion- and she CHOSE to carry the pregnancy to term instead. CHOICE. See that word? That's what PRO-CHOICE promotes. It is not what the antichoicers want.

Tebow had a choice, made a choice- and is now standing up to take that same choice away from other women. It's hypocritical. It's cruel. It's unequal. It's unfair. It's un-American. We are not afraid of her, or her son. We are ANGRY that she is going to use her story of CHOICE to speak out AGAINST choice. It makes no sense at all.

Lastly, I personally, and probably a few other people, are angry at Focus on the Family. They spent 3 MILLION DOLLARS on a 30 second commercial ad. How many pregnant women could they have provided for? How many infants could they have provided for? How many foster children could they have helped? How many starving people in Africa could have been fed? How many Haitians could have been helped?

It's sick that they would waste that money on a 30 second ad which uses choice to speak out against choice.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I have been directed to a website which is just... ridiculous. It's an e-book labeled as "101 reasons not to have an abortion." A lot of them are lies, a lot of them are random questions, a lot of them are meaningless. Of course I have more important things to do, but I think it'd be fun to respond to as many of these as I can!

Reason #1: The benefits of abortion are outnumbered

Outnumbered by what? The real problem I see right off the bat, is that instead of defending this position (after the statement there is a paragraph "explanation"), the author has simply pieced together her other reasons into sentences. So basically, this reason is also reasons 2, 9, 12, 20, 21, 22, 23, 89... etc. So it's not really a reason at all.

Reason #2: We know when life begins

Who is "we?" There are people who claim that life begins at fertilization (before pregnancy has even started). Other people say life begins when the brain starts to function. Other people say life begins at birth (this seems to be the Biblical claim). Other people say life begins 3 days AFTER birth when the child is dedicated and named. Which "we" is correct?

Reason #3: You have been lied to

Well if they're reading this, absolutely. Otherwise, claiming that every woman has been lied to about abortion is to demean her and act as if she's a fool. Not sure how that's a good thing for women.

Reason #4: Abortion clinics are allowed to lie to you

No they are not. Clinics are medical facilities, and antichoice people have put in lots of effort to limit their speech and abilities. Clinic workers are not allowed to lie to you (except, ironically, in cases where they are required by law to "inform" the patient of things such as fetal pain and abortion-breast cancer links, which ARE lies).

Reason #5: Most women want support not abortion

The "explanation" for this basically says the same thing as the one below, oddly. My response- women can have support and choose abortion. No one should be forced into an abortion, I hold that absolutely true. But when given all the opportunities to carry to term and/or raise a child, some women will choose abortion anyway. And that's their choice.

Reason #6: Abortion is an unwanted choice

Again a lie. Many women choose abortion because they want to choose abortion.

Reason #7: No one likes abortion

This may be true in some sense of the word- I don't know anyone who has abortions for fun. But a lot of people DO like that abortion is legal. And they DO like that they had access to that legal abortion. Since when is not liking something the best reason to not do it? I don't like eating my vegetables... should no one eat vegetables?

Reason #8: If only you could see what she looks like

First off- "she?" Here we go with the emotional appeals. Secondly, 60% of women who abort already have kids- they've seen the ultrasounds, and know exactly what's going on. Between that and all the fetal development websites available, this is just another insult to women's intelligence.

Reason #9: It’s not just a bunch of cells!

Yes it is. Then again, so are you and I.

Reason #10: Your baby exists now, not in the future

No, a baby does not exist now. A fetus exists now.

Reason #11: A fetus is a human and humans are persons

This is one of those things you can't prove- "a fetus is a human." What makes it a human? The brain it doesn't have? We are more than just DNA.

Reason #12: Abortion in the physical sense is also abortion in the spiritual sense.

This claims the knowledge that God is against abortion. The Bible doesn't mention abortion at all, so to be so sure is uncalled for. Even further, the explanation for this one claims that anyone who doesn't believe that personhood begins at conception (which cannot be found ANYWHERE in the Bible) is godless. What an awful, baseless, factless, lying claim.

Reason #13: At what point is it too late to abort?

This isn't a reason against abortion, so much as a reason for a woman to get an ultrasound to find out how far she's along. The majority of abortions happen before 12 weeks, and thus this comment is irrelevant to most women.

Reason #14: So what if the baby isn’t viable yet?

I have no idea why this is a reason not to abort. It's not a reason, it's just a question which is entirely irrelevant.

Reason #15: Abortion is not an act of love

Tell that to the parents of Grace: http://www.truthout.org/1203097

Reason #16: Do you kill a child for their own good?

Fetuses are not children, thus this comment makes no sense.

Reason #17: Ignorance is bliss, until you discover the truth

Again- 60% of women who abort already have a child, they know the truth of where pregnancy leads. Between that and the internet and the (required) counseling at the clinic, women are knowledgeable. This is a third statement which relies upon claiming women are ignorant fools.

Reason #18: Is this what you really want?

Good question. I think a woman should consider this. If abortion is what she really wants, then that's her right.

Reason #19: There are practical options to make things work for you

In some cases, yes. But not for everyone. The assumption that everyone has access to funding and help is not a good one, because it leads us to inaction. As well, for people who do have access to assistance in carrying a pregnancy to term- not everyone wants to. That's the woman's choice.

Reason #20: There is a plan

Yup. And sometimes, it includes abortion!

Reason #21: To fulfill her plan your child needs to be born

Again with the "her" emotional appeal. Secondly, who is this author- God? I don't think so. This is a straight out lie with nothing to back it up.

Reason #22: Maybe you are pregnant for a reason

Maybe she is. That doesn't mean the woman is required to carry to term. Many women suffer miscarriages and people tell them "this has purpose, there's a reason this happened."

Reason #23: Being young and pregnant isn’t the worst thing in the world

For most people, this is probably true. That doesn't mean anyone should have to suffer when they don't want to. Just because a girl could live through being a teen parent doesn't mean we should force her to be a teen parent.

Reason #24: It’s better to be alive with one parent than dead with two

That's an opinion. Some of us would rather die to allow both of our parents to live.

Reason #25: Abortion is about a woman’s body, but…

But what? There is no but.

Reason #26: Pro-choicers admit abortion is killing

For some people this might be an issue. Those people are probably already prolife, and already going to carry to term.

Reason #27: Women know that abortion kills a baby

No, abortion does not kill a baby. Abortion terminates a pregnancy. There are no babies in pregnancy.

Reason #28: God will forgive but there are still consequences

"consequences"- is this a threat of afterlife punishments from an author who obviously doesn't understand God's position on choice? Again? Guess what, there are "consequences" of pregnancy too.

Reason #29: Abortion may affect your future fertility

"May"- yes. In all likeliness, though, it wont. There is no medical proof that abortion is dangerous to a woman's fertility.

Reason #30: Abortion carries risks

As does childbirth, as well as parenting and adoption. This is not, itself, a reason not to abort so much as a reason for all women to consider all their options.

Reason #31: Abortion is not safer than childbirth

Well there's another straight out lie. Abortion IS safer than childbirth. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/abortion/article_em.htm That doesn't mean women should be denied childbirth, it just means women should be allowed to make their own choice.

Reason #32: Abortion isn’t a quick fix

Who said they were using abortion as a quick fix?

Reason #33: Abortion clinics target you when you are vulnerable and desperate

I don't know a single clinic which targets women. They list their services in the phone book and online, and the woman come to them. There is no targeting involved.

Reason #34: Abortion is an irreversible choice

So is childbirth.

Reason #35: Counseling at abortion clinics is a joke

Has this author gone through counseling? The only reason it's a "joke" is because of antichoice laws which require clinic workers to lie to women.

Reason #36: ‘Freedom to choose’ does not tell you what you have the freedomto choose

Okay. Here you go: You have the freedom to choose, when you are pregnant, between abortion and carrying a pregnancy to term. BAM!

Reason #37: It’s your choice!

This is supposed to be a reason against abortion?

Reason #38: You are not alone

Hopefully, this is correct. Why someone thinks it's a reason against abortion, I cannot understand.

Reason #39: Some things in life are wrong

Yes, some things in life are wrong. Abortion, by the Bible and by US law, isn't one of those things.

Reason #40: Are you getting an abortion for someone else?

I think this might be the second one- out of 40 thus far- that I agree with. Women should be aborting because they choose to abort, not because someone else wants them to abort.

Reason #41: You may regret your abortion for a very long time Reason #42: Your mom chose life Reason #43: Do to others as you would have them do to you Reason #44: Going against your value system might not make you happy Reason #45: Who cares what other people think! Reason #46: Being responsible is more rewarding than copping out Reason #47: Abortion, the responsible choice? Reason #48: So you wouldn’t be a good parent? Reason #49: Abortion procedures are brutal Reason #50: Abortion may make you unhappy Reason #51: Abortion creates secrets, suppression and denial Reason #52: Suppression leads to anger, depression and forbidden grief Reason #53: The fetus can feel pain Reason #54: You can begin bonding with your baby now! Reason #55: Your unborn child can feel, taste, smell, hear, and see Reason #56: Abortion is playing God Reason #57: Why should God bless America when we kill His children? Reason #58: Saving the planet starts with ending abortion Reason #59: You can’t compare humans to animals Reason #60: The abortion industry is a business Reason #61: Abortionists don’t enjoy their job Reason #62: Abortionists are known to have bad records Reason #63: Women have died from abortion Reason #64: Abortion is not real medicine Reason #65: Right or wrong? It’s all in the words Reason #66: Every child deserves life Reason #67: You might be aborting a genius Reason #68: Planned Parenthood clinics are not neutral Reason #69: Planned Parenthood’s beginnings were unsavory Reason #70: Hitler would have loved abortion Reason #71: Hormonal changes cause moodiness around the time most abortions occur! Reason #72: Abortion isn’t natural Reason #73: Abortion is not a form of birth control Reason #74: Abortion is selfish Reason #75: Abortion may change your relationships Reason #76: Slavery was legal too Reason #77: Abortion is unconstitutional Reason #78: Have a child now while you can Reason #79: The population explosion is an urban myth Reason #80: Abortion is a betrayal of women Reason #81: Abortion after rape is a double tragedy Reason #82: There are so many couples who would love to parent if you don’t Reason #83: The father might refret it too Reason #84: Real feminists won’t ask you to kill your own child Reason #85: There is still hope for your special needs child Reason #86: Abortion fetuses are often used in research Reason #87: Your unborn baby is intelligent Reason #88: We are self-aware before birth Reason #89: There could be a soul just waiting to come into your Reason #90: Abortion is not just a Catholic issueReason #91: The Judeo-Christian heritage is pro-life Reason #92: Move with the changing attitudes on abortion Reason #93: Abortion may not be medically necessary Reason #94: Had one abortion? Don’t make it two Reason #95: What if the timing is right but you just don’t know it? Reason #96: Read the messages from women who have been there Reason #97: Parenting is not something you can ever be fully prepared for Reason #98: Motherhood is an awesome experience Reason #99: Save a life today Reason #100: You can still live your dreams Reason #101: Be prepared – you might just enjoy being a mom!

Friday, January 22, 2010

So often, prolifers pretend that anyone who has a child is going to be prolife, automatically. This is absolutely and completely untrue! Even the mother of Jesus, Mary, was given a choice before she agreed to carry the son of God.

So, I was hoping to see how many prochoice people either have children, or are currently pregnant.

So please! If you're prochoice and currently pregnant or raising children (or have finished raising children!) please leave a comment on my blog with your twitter username.

In honor of Dr. George Tiller, who often wore a button that simply read, "Trust Women," this year's Blog for Choice Day question is: What does Trust Women mean to you?

Trust Women.

It seems like such a simply statement, but it means so much.

Trusting women means allowing girls to be born in China.Trusting women means not cutting young girls private parts.Trusting women means providing age-appropriate sexual education to all children.Trusting women is believing young girls when they say someone abused them.Trusting women is providing women with access to contraceptives, regardless of wealth or race or location.Trusting women is listening when a woman says no, and NEVER forcing her into any sort of unwanted physical contact.Trusting women is providing women with the choice to abort. Trusting women is providing them with health care regardless of which choice they make. Trusting women is revoking Hyde, so that all women have access to reproductive choice.Trusting women is providing women who choose to carry to term with education about pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care, etc- and not just the OB's version of these events.Trusting women is allowing women who want a natural childbirth to labor for as long as they need to, without having drugs pushed upon them. Trusting women is preventing doctors from using scare tactics or lies on women in labor.Trusting women is providing lactation consultants and helping women to create a breastfeeding bond. Trusting women is not pushing formula onto new mothers.Trusting women is allowing new mothers to be parents the way they see fit.Trusting women is allowing this cycle of reproductive choices and accessibility to continue.

Of course, that's not all trusting women is about. Trusting women is realizing that not everyone who identifies as a woman has the physical body of a woman. Trusting women is providing transwomen with support and access to medical providers, as well as educating others about being respectful and understanding.

Trusting women means NOT standing outside abortion clinics to harass women for making a choice. Trusting women is NOT fighting against equal access to reproductive choices.Trusting women is NOT lying about how many people regret abortion.Trusting women is NOT pretending that every woman who chooses parenting or adoption feels great about her choice.Trusting women is NOT denying information about contraceptives and sexual health education to anyone, at any age. Trusting women is NOT denying rape victims emergency contraceptive (Are you listening Scott Brown?)Trusting women is NOT supporting Hyde.Trusting women is NOT making abortion illegal. Trusting women is NOT raping or assaulting a woman, trans or cis, in any way. Trusting women is NOT calling women sluts or any other word when they become pregnant, in or out of wedlock.Trusting women is NOT calling women names, or saying they are irresponsible, just because they make one reproductive choice over another.

Trusting women means I have respect from all people. It means I can walk a street at night without getting raped. It means I can walk into a Planned Parenthood without being harassed, no matter if I'm there for birth control or an abortion. It means I choose if, when, and how I have children.

Trusting women means no one should ever be murdered for saving womens' lives. RIP Dr. Tiller and Happy Anniversary to Roe v Wade.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Yup. Everyone's talking about it. I've been trying to avoid it, but you can't avoid something like this. Scott Brown (R) will be filling late Senator Kennedy's seat. Disappointment abounds from everywhere.

There are a numberofthings about Scott Brown which concern me, but what's more concerning is who voted him into Congress.

Massachusetts voters. What do we know about MA voters?1. They most often vote blue (democratic)2. They already passed healthcare reform on the state level providing for universal insurance coverage3. State unemployment is at the highest rate it's been since the 1970s.

So although some MA residents may care about our current national health care reform, it isn't of absolute importance to them. There aren't (or at least, shouldn't be) people in MA dying because they can't access health care.

This means that instead of worrying about their lives and health, they're worrying about money. This was obviously clear in the election results. MA voters were not swayed with promises of health care reform because they already HAVE healthcare reform. And call me mean, but it sure seems like they decided to care more about their own money (taxes) than the health and wellbeing of other Americans.

How is this fair? How is it fair that people who already have healthcare can deny it to others? How is it fair that people who have the smallest interest in health care reform get to possibly prevent it from passing?

It doesn't seem fair at all.

Of course, I must mention that they are people in MA who voted for Coakley, and to those people I say thank you.

To those who voted for Brown- I hope you understand the choice you made.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

I don't know how anyone could get the two things mixed up. Prochoice is about sooo sooo sooooooo much more than just abortion. It's about a woman's right to choose. It's about reproductive choices and freedoms.

For me, being prochoice is about a woman's right to choose whether she wants to be pregnant in the first place. That means having access to contraceptives and the education on how to use them, as well as information about abstinence and how to refrain from sex when you're pressured to do it.

Prochoice is about a woman's right to choose whether she wants to stay pregnant. That means having access to abortion and prenatal health care, as well as a support system for the woman regardless of which choice she makes.

Prochoice is about a woman's right to give birth how and with who she wants. That means access to health care, midwives, OB/GYNs, doulas and information for all the above choices. That means education (not just 1 day hospital classes) about childbirth, the interventions offered and their risks, and how to fight for your own well being as well as the well being of the child.

Prochoice is about being able to choose whether to actually be a parent, or to give up a child for adoption. That means access to information about adoption and parenting. That means fighting for adoption reform so that adoption isn't so expensive and doesn't take so long to happen. It means recognizing that there are waiting lists for some types of children and an overabundance of other types of children.

Prochoice is about choosing HOW you parent. Do you want to breastfeed or formula feed? Do you want to co-sleep or allow your child to sleep in it's own room? Are you going to use cloth diapers or disposables? Are you going to babywear? What are your rights as a working parent? ALL these choices require the person to be INFORMED about their rights and their choices.

Where does all this education come from? Hopefully parents play an important role. But we cannot ensure their participation. Education must happen where it can be controlled as science-based and factual; in the schools. And the education must extend beyond the topic covered here. It must go into gender roles, marriage, respect, puberty, and so much more.

Friday, January 8, 2010

People can't seem to understand that "The Silent Scream" is fake. A fake, lying piece of propaganda used to control people's emotions.

Unfortunately, the real authorities- doctors, medical professionals- don't even think The Silent Scream is worth their time. There's no direct mention of it that I can find in my google search. However, I have come across a couple things.

An article found on this site talks about a woman named Patricia Jaworski who wrote a documentary after researching the facts of brain development. She included four leading brain researchers in her documentary. Overall conclusion: The Silent Scream is false.

In fact, asserts neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Dominick Purpura, former dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, and current dean at Albert Einstein School of Medicine, before the 28th week of development the cortex lacks sufficient axons, dendrites and synapses to sustain the processes of thought, feeling and awareness the documentary deems necessary for "personhood."

Now, don't get caught up in the personhood deal. I'm not making a comment one way or the other (at least not in this post).

There is another article which mentions the neuroscientists and their opinions on fetal brain development. However, it seems to have a purpose other than just the silent scream so I will not quote it here.

Here again are some of the claims made in The Silent Scream disproven:

FACTS: At this stage of pregnancy, all fetal movement is reflexive in nature rather than purposeful, since the latter requires cognition, which is the ability to perceive and know. For cognition to occur, the cortex (gray matter covering the brain) must be present, as well as myelinization (covering sheath) of the spinal cord and attached nerves, which is not the case.An example of the reflex withdrawal without pain occurs in an anencephalic (absent brain) newborn. Another known example of the reflex movement at this stage of human pregnancy is thumb sucking in utero.

What is termed "frantic activity" by the fetus is a reflex response of the fetus resulting from movement of the uterus and its contents induced by operator manipulation of the suction curette or the ultrasound transducer on the abdomen. This same type of response would likely occur with any external stimulus. A one-cell organism such as an amoeba will reflexively move or display a withdrawal reaction when touched.

In addition, experts in ultrasonography and film technology have concluded that the videotape of the abortion was deliberately slowed down and subsequently speeded up to create an impression of hyperactivity.

CLAIM: Ultrasonogram depicts the open mouth of the fetus.

FACTS: The mouth of the fetus cannot be identified in the ultrasound image with certainty. The statement that the screen identifies the open mouth of the fetus is a subjective and misleading interpretation by Dr. Nathanson. His conclusion is not supportable.

CLAIM: The fetus emits "the silent scream."

FACTS: A scream cannot occur without air in the lungs. Although primitive respiratory movements do occur in the later stages of gestation, crying or screaming cannot occur even then. In fact, a child born prematurely at 26–27 weeks' gestation (24–25 weeks' fetal age) cannot scream but occasionally emits weak cries.

CLAIM: A fetus is indistinguishable from any of the rest of us.

FACTS: A fetus of 12 weeks cannot in any way be compared to a fully formed functioning person. At this stage only rudiments of the organ systems are present. The fetus is unable to sustain life outside the woman's womb, it is incapable of conscious thought; it is incapable of essential breathing. It is instead an in utero fetus with the potential of becoming a child.

CLAIM: Fetal head at 12 weeks requires the use of "crushing instruments" for extraction.

FACTS: At 12 weeks' gestation (10 weeks' fetal age) and even 1–2 weeks beyond, instrumentation other than a suction cannula is not required when abortion is properly performed. Cannulas for aspiration abortion come in varying sizes, and the larger sizes are adequate for withdrawing the contents of the uterus.

In the end, I cannot believe how anyone can think The Silent Scream is anything but a lie.

Friday, January 1, 2010

I saw at least five prolife billboards on my Christmas vacation this year. Almost all of them had a picture of a smiling, cute baby. Not a single one had an image of a fetus. Not a single one showed a woman. Is prolife afraid of how people will respond to images of fetuses? It's so much easier to use an emotional appeal instead of telling the truth. Do prolifers think that women wont feel the same way as them if the woman sees what an early term embryo/fetus really looks like?

Of course there are no women in these billboards because its not about a woman or her rights to them.

At least two of the billboards contained the phrase "Choose Life." This phrase is in contradiction with prolife philosophy. Prolifers want abortion to be illegal- they don't want women to be able to choose. If you choose life, it means you had other options.

It's very depressing that prolife can realize that choice is a good thing, and they can even go so far as to use it in their language... yet not realize that saying choice is good/acceptable, says that abortion is good/acceptable. Abortion is a choice. If a woman cannot choose abortion, she also cannot "choose life."

In thinking harder about the phrase "choose life," I realize that many women are choosing life when they have an abortion. They're choosing THEIR life, their children's lives, their parent's life, their family's life. Prolife does not want women to choose their own lives- women are supposed to "Choose [fetal] life." Again we see that prolifers have no regard for womens' lives, because when they say "life" they only refer to the fetus, never to anyone else.

I wish the prolifers could widen their view. There is a lot more to life than fetuses.

Oh course, the irony is that a woman who actually chooses "life" aka to carry a pregnancy to term is prochoice, because she made a choice. Prochoice is not against women CHOOSING to have babies. We're just against forced pregnancy.

About Me

I'm a Pro-choice Christian who wants to reduce the need for elective abortions through comprehensive sex education, reformed adoption and better support for pregnant women!
Have a question? Ask me here: http://www.formspring.me/KushielsMoon